General cargo, also known as groupage, is the technical term for shipments that are transported together with other shipments on the same vehicle instead of occupying a vehicle exclusively. With general cargo shipping you only pay for the space your shipment needs, whether a single pallet, several pallets or a mesh pallet box. That is usually considerably less than for a full truckload, where a lorry travels for one single shipment only.
Traditional general cargo transport usually works via a quote that a freight forwarder only prepares after a phone call. transportami turns this into a digital process: you enter the pickup and destination locations, packages, dimensions and weight online and see your price instantly. This way you can book general cargo online without having to call. Up to six packages with up to 1,250 kg per package and 3,000 kg in total can be booked online.
Along the way, general cargo is reloaded at the transhipment hub, the depot of the forwarding network where shipments move from the pickup lorry to long-distance transport. So that your goods stay safe in the process, general cargo travels palletised or in a mesh pallet box: private customers ship on a disposable pallet, business customers can also use a Euro pallet, a mesh pallet box (a steel mesh container on a pallet base) or an IBC (a plastic tank in a mesh frame, usually holding 1,000 litres). Our guide to pallet shipping explains what to bear in mind with Euro pallets and disposable pallets. Single large items are covered in the guide Shipping bulky goods.
